


Your Healing Touch

by ForsakenAngel88



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Langst, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Post S7, pre s8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 06:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForsakenAngel88/pseuds/ForsakenAngel88
Summary: While Keith is away on a Blade mission Lance get severely injured on two separate missions causing him to be blind and partially deaf. Keith comes back to find there is nothing the doctors can do for Lance, so he takes matters into his own hands and takes Lance to find a healing spring he has heard about in a legend. But is the spring even real?





	Your Healing Touch

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all, so I am back with another klance fic, cause my brain apparently doesn't know how to stop thinking about the lol
> 
> I want to thank Sam [@winter-and-little-brunettes](http://winter-and-little-brunettes.tumblr.com/) who once again read through and edited this for me. She is amazing! <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

A high pitched ringing was all Lance could hear. He scrunched up his eyes in pain and leaned back into Red’s chair, massaging his temples to try and relieve the throbbing in between his ears. It felt like someone was hammering into his head with a big blunt weapon, nothing efficient in the least. He just wanted it all to stop. 

Red flew down to land with the other lions at the Garrison base and opened his mouth to allow Lance to leave. 

Realising they had landed, Lance squinted his eyes open slightly and slowly stood up, his left hand still cradled his head as his vision began to fade in and out. “Thanks, Red.” he mumbled out, frowning when he realised he hadn't heard his own voice as he spoke. He could feel Red’s concern run through his body, but he didn’t have the energy to reassure his lion right now. 

Instead he shook his head and stumbled forward, moving to exit his lion and join the others. He knew he was going to get a lecture about his recklessness again. This was the third time he had put himself in danger to save one of his teammates in the last few months since Keith had gone on his solo mission to help Kolivan and Krolia find any remaining blade members that were still alive. 

Sighing, he climbed out of Red and watched as the others rushed over to him. Through his clouded vision he could see their mouths moving and he could tell Hunk was yelling at him, but he couldn't hear anything any of them were saying. He frowned again as a sharp pain shot through his head, causing him to grab his head with both hands and close his eyes tightly. He felt Hunks large hands on his arms and Allura’s delicate hands on his back, but all he could focus on was the ringing and the pain shooting around his head until there was nothing but darkness. 

 

\---

 

Groaning groggily, Lance opened his eyes, but quickly shut them again due to the bright light in the room. He brought his hand up to his head, noticing the pain had dulled. He could hear muffled voices around him, but he couldn’t make out who’s voices they were or what they were saying. It was like he had cotton wool shoved in his ears. Using his hand to shield his eyes from the light, he attempted to open them again. He blinked a few times to get used to the light, clearing the fogginess from the corners of his vision. 

Once his eyes had adjusted to the light, he moved his hand back down to his lap, noticing the IV drip attached to the back of his hand. He looked up and noticed the entire team, minus Keith, standing around his bed, he gave them a guilty smile and a small wave.

Shiro was the first to speak, although Lance could see Hunk wanting to rush up to him and start questioning him. 

“How are you feeling?” A concerned look stretched across Shiro’s face. His voice was muffled through Lance’s hearing, but at least he could now hear what was being said.

“I’m alright. What happened?” Lance replied, his voice slightly louder then normal.

The team glanced around at each other, noticing the higher volume of Lance’s voice, before focussing back on Lance.

“You took a direct hit from the battle cruiser’s laser. It was emitting a strange frequency that was distorting the lions controls.” Pidge answered, explaining what happened. “The Green Lion wasn’t responding and you pushed me out the way before I was hit.” 

“The rest of us took the cruiser out and we all landed safely, but you collapsed once you got out of Red.” Allura added.

“That was 3 days ago!” Hunk exclaimed, no longer being able remain silent. He grabbed one of Lance’s hands within his own. “You had us so scared, dude. Why do you have to keep putting yourself in danger like this?” he pleaded as tears welled in the corners of his eyes. 

Lance smiled sadly at his best friend. “I’m sorry. It’s not like I meant to.” he said slowly, feeling guilty. “I couldn’t just let Pidge get hit. Any of you would have done the same. Red’s just the fastest so I was able to get to her first.” he explained, looking determined. He knew he had done the right thing. 

Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The Galra seem to be coming up with new technology and weapons to counter the lions. We will have to be more vigilant in future.” He motioned to Lance in the hospital bed. “This is becoming a frequent occurrence. I understand injuries happen in battle, but you are a part of a team Lance. You don’t need to put yourself in danger. Let the others help.” he said sternly.

Lance shrunk back into his bed, nodding quietly. “Yes Shiro.”

Shiro nodded back. “Good.” He turned to the others. “The rest of you can have a few moments to spend with Lance, but be back in the boardroom soon to discuss our next plan of action.” 

The others nodded in reply before Shiro walked out of the room. They all turned back to Lance.

“The doctor said your hearing might have been damaged due to the sound the ship was emitting, so he will be in soon to do tests.” Allura stated, worriedly, walking to the other side of the bed, opposite Hunk. Pidge came up beside her. 

“They can fix it though right?” Lance asked, looking around at his friends. “I mean I couldn’t hear anything when I got out of Red, but I can sort of hear now, it’s just muffled, so it’s getting better.” he explained.

Hunk squeezed Lance’s hand, offering his friend a small reassuring smile. “I’m sure it’ll be fine buddy. We have some of the top medical specialists here.” 

“Hunk’s right, and we’ll know more when the doctor comes to check on you.” Pidge smiled. “We should probably head off though before Shiro comes looking for us again, but we’ll come back after the meeting alright.” 

Lance nodded sadly. “Is he angry with me?” he asked as the others began to leave.

Allura looked back over at him. “He’s just worried. We all are. We don’t like seeing you hurt, Lance.” she replied quietly, making it difficult for Lance to catch what she was saying. 

Lance watched as his friends left his room and sighed. He knew Shiro was going to be disappointed and the others worried, but he wasn’t going to feel bad for saving Pidge. Keith had left him in charge of the team and told him to look after them. He was just doing his job. Besides, he didn’t know that hit was going to knock him out for three days. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the pillow. Everything would be fine. Once the doctor arrived, they’d fix him up and he’d be out taking down galra again in no time. 

 

\---

Unfortunately, it was a little more serious then they had originally thought. The doctor had seen Lance later that day and concluded that there was damage to his inner ears and there was little they could do without causing further damage. The team stood quietly around Lance’s bed as they took in the information. 

Lance smiled reassuringly at the team, already having had time to process the news before the team arrived. “It’s fine, guys. I can still hear to some degree and it might continue to repair itself.” 

The others frowned at his optimism. 

“Lance, this is really serious.” Hunk stressed, voice filled with concern. “If anything else happens to your ears then you could go completely deaf.”

“Hunk’s right. Any loud noises could trigger a reaction.” Pidge added. “We are surrounded by explosions and noisy weaponry every time we fight. I don’t think it’s safe for you to continue to fight with us.” she concluded sadly.

Lance sat up quickly in shock. “WHAT?!” He looked around at his friends to see if any of them were going to disagree with her. He shook his head, realising they all agreed with Pidge. “Guys? You can’t be serious.” he shouted in a panic. “Come on guys, I’m fine! I can still pilot Red and fight alongside you all. I promise to be careful.” He looked up pleadingly at Shiro. “Please don’t take me off the team Shiro.”

Shiro sighed sadly. “I’m sorry, Lance. You don’t have the best track record at keeping safe and you could be a liability if you can’t hear instructions clearly.” 

Lance looked over to Hunk with wide eyes. He needed someone to fight for him and he knew Hunk would stand by him no matter what. “Hunk, buddy, you know me.” He pleaded, and reached out to grasp Hunk’s hand tightly. “You know I’ll be good on my promise. Please tell Shiro I’ll be alright to continue fighting.”

Hunk frowned and pouted. He hated when Lance gave him his pleading puppy dog eyes. He sighed and looked over to Shiro. “I think we should give him a chance. He knows the risks and I believe he’ll be careful to stay out of danger.” 

Lance smiled and looked over to Shiro, Allura and Pidge’s gazes doing the same. 

“We can help keep an eye on him as well.” Allura added, shooting Lance a small smile. She didn’t want to see him get benched, he was one of their most talented pilots they had after all. 

Shiro sighed in frustration. He knew the right thing to do was take Lance off the team, but he also knew that he was a valuable member of the team, and they’d be at a loss without him. “Alright.” Shiro conceded. “But if you have any decline in your hearing or something happens to make it worse, you are off the team. Understood?” he stated firmly.

Lance nodded excitedly. “Of course. No problemo. Thank you so much, Shiro.” He could feel the pounding between his ears starting up again, but smiled through the pain so his teammates wouldn’t think anything was wrong.

Shiro smiled at seeing Lance so happy. “Just take it easy. We don’t want to lose you.” he rested his hand on Lance’s shoulder before heading out of the room.

Lance let out a deep breath he’d been holding in. He couldn’t believe he had been that close to being booted from the team. He looked up and smiled at his friends. “That was a close one.” 

“You’re very lucky. Shiro may seem like he’s being hard on you, but it’s because he cares.” Pidge shook her head at Lance, smiling sadly. “We are the only family he has left. He doesn’t want to lose anyone else.” 

Lance’s smile dropped. He hadn’t thought of it like that. They all had families, but Shiro had no one but the team left. “Don’t worry Pidge. I don’t plan on getting hurt anymore than I already have.” he replied reassuringly.

“That’s good to hear.” Hunk said beside him. “I don’t think my heart can take much more.” he joked, taking Lance’s hand in his own. 

“We should let you rest.” Allura smiled, running her hand through Lance’s hair gently. “Hopefully you’ll be able to be released in a few days.”

“Thanks guys.” Lance said, leaning back against his pillows. He didn’t want to alarm them, but the hammering in his head had begun to pound even harder now.

“See you later, Lance.” Pidge smiled, squeezing his hand quickly before walking out of the room with Allura and Hunk. 

Lance sighed as the door was shut behind them and closed his eyes. He hoped that when he awoke later that his headache would be gone. He didn’t want the others to know, but he was scared. He didn’t want to lose his hearing, but he also didn’t want to be removed from the team. He scrunched his eyes up tightly as tears slid down his cheeks and fell into a restless sleep. 

\------

A few days later, Lance was released from hospital and allowed to return to his room. The doctor had instructed him to stay away from any loud noises for at least a couple of weeks to allow his ears to heal as much as they possibly could. So Shiro had put him on house arrest where he wasn't allowed to leave his room unless accompanied by someone else. 

Lance had argued that he didn't need a babysitter. He knew he had to avoid noisy areas like the common room and dining rooms that were always crowded with people. Still, Shiro wouldn't back down and reminded Lance that if anything happened to make his hearing worse he'd have no choice but to take him off the team. Lance stopped arguing after that and resigned to sitting in his quiet room alone while the others trained and went on missions. 

He hadn't told anyone, but his hearing had not been improving like the doctor said it might. Instead Lance went through periods of time where his hearing was so muffled he couldn't make out what people were saying and he'd have to try and lip read- something he was getting very good at doing without alerting people he was doing it. The ringing in his ears also came and went, often bringing on the thudding headache that sometimes caused his vision to blur. 

Today, however, was a good day and Lance was feeling more like himself. He had been sitting in his room now for the past week and it was slowly grating on his nerves. He wasn't the type of person who could just sit in a room and do nothing all day. He needed to be out there helping his team. 

The others had come to visit him earlier that day before being called out to a mission again. Lance sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. He was beyond bored. There was only so many books he could read and so many hours he could stare at his roof in thought. Thoughts that often led to a certain black haired leader that hadn’t spent much time with his team since returning to Earth. It left Lance feeling bitter and upset. They hadn’t been able to spend any recreational time together since Keith had joined the Blades back when they were in space and Lance missed it-- missed him. 

Suddenly, an alarm rang through the Garrison. Lance winced and covered his ears as pain shot through his head. 

“All pilots report to the hangers immediately.” a voice called over the speakers. “All soldiers report to the weapons room immediately. All other personnel remain inside Garrison quarters!”

“What is going on?” Lance wondered out loud, wincing as more pain shot through his head. 

If they were calling all pilots and foot troopes then something bad must be heading their way. The others had left a while ago to deal with a cruiser that had been spotted entering the atmosphere so they wouldn't be able to help, but he could though. He needed to. 

Standing up, he ignored the ringing in his ears and rushed out the door towards the hanger where Red had been resting while Lance was recovering. No one took notice of him as he ran through the crowded halls. Everyone was too busy rushing around, doing there own thing to stop him, which Lance was grateful for. He grimaced at the sound of them yelling over each other, focussing on his task at hand. He tried to ignore the pain and continued his way down to his lion. 

Once he got to the hanger, he quickly changed into his paladin armor and ran over to Red. “Long time no see, pal. You ready to take on whatever's coming our way?” he asked as he hopped into the lions cockpit, settling down in his chair.

He heard Red purr in the back of his mind, worried for his paladin, as if he could sense Lance’s pain. 

Lance smiled. “I’ll be alright, buddy. We gotta help the others.” he replied, trying to reassure his lion.

Red powered up, trusting Lance’s words and took off out the door. 

Suddenly the comm came on. “Lance, what the hell are you doing?!” Shiro’s voice boomed through the speaker. 

“I heard the alarm. The others aren't here to help, but I can.” Lance replied. He could only hope that Shiro wouldn't be too upset with him for disobeying his orders.

“Lance, get back here right now.” Shiro ordered. “You haven't been cleared for missions.” 

“Shiro, I’m fine. Let me do this.” Lance responded stubbornly. “What's the mission?”

Shiro growled in frustration, knowing nothing he said would bring Lance back now, he would just have to trust that Lance would be careful and not put himself in any unnecessary danger. “Another cruiser has been spotted to the north. It looks like they've dropped some sentries and foot soldiers as well.” he explained.

“On it. Red and I can take out that cruiser no problem.” Lance replied, flying Red over to the coordinates Shiro's team had sent him.

“The MFE’s will be there shortly. Wait for backup, Lance.” Shiro warned. 

Lance didn’t respond, not hearing the warning clearly, pushing forward instead, rushing ahead until he came up to the cruiser. 

“Come on Red, this will be a piece of cake.” Lance said, activating Reds canon and shooting the ship head on. 

The front of the ship exploded, sending a wave of heat and debris flying towards Lance. Red was flung back as the sound rang through Lance’s head, making him let go of Red’s controls to clutch his head and squeeze his eyes tightly closed in pain.

He could hear the comms come to life but he couldn't hear anything but the obnoxious ringing in his ears. It took several moments for him to be able to open his eyes again and regain some sort of focus but as soon he did he was faced with a beam of bright energy coming straight for him and Red. 

There was no time for him to react before Red was engulfed in the bright light. It sent them both hurtling towards the ground. He never felt them crash land. 

\-----

Consciousness hit Lance like a truck, no, an entire fleet of them. He groaned, but his body hated doing even that. Everything hurt, and doing anything hurt. Lance wanted nothing more than to melt back into the bed, and be unconscious again.

But, he could feel the presence of people around him. He could barely hear the voices that spoke, but he could only assume it was either his teammates, or a team of doctors. Where was he, exactly? He tried to move his body, but it felt heavy and it ached all over. The ringing had dulled to a more manageable level since he first woke up. What happened? 

Lance tried to open his eyes, his eyelids just as weighty as his entire body felt. After a few moments he could see fuzzy shadows moving around him. Some of them were hovering to each of his sides. 

Suddenly, there was a shadow moving in front of his face. It looked like it was attached to one of the bigger shadows. Was that a hand? Lance thought to himself. He imagined it to be someone waving their hand in front of his face, but he couldn't see any definite detail as he squinted to try and focus, but the cloudiness didn’t dissipate. 

Frowning, he looked around, counting the shadows. He guessed the one next to him was Hunk, as it was larger than the others, and there was a small one next to him so that must be Pidge, that would mean the other 2 were Allura and Shiro, but there was an extra shadow-- person?-- there, standing at the end of the bed. Maybe a doctor?

“I don't think he can see us, Shiro.” Hunk’s muffled voice came from the shadow to Lance’s left. So he was right. The team were here.

“His eyes are glazed over and clouded. They must have been damaged by that light beam.” he heard Pidge saying, frowning at the thought. First deafness and now blindness, maybe he should have listened to Shiro and gone back.

“It looks like he can still hear us at least. He just reacted to what Pidge said.” Keith's voice responded from the end of the bed. 

Lance stopped looking around, his eyes widening slightly. Keith was back. When did Keith come back? He didn't want Keith to see him like this. He was supposed to look after the team, but here he was, supposedly back in the hospital again with very little hearing and no sight. He had failed the one task Keith had left him with. What would Keith think of him now?

“Lance. Can you hear us?” Allura’s sweet voice called from his right side. 

Lance nodded slowly, turning to look at what he thought was her. “What happened?” he asked, louder than necessary, indicating to the team that his hearing hadn't gotten any better.

“The galra cruiser hit you with an energy beam. It looks like the intense light has damaged your eyes.” Shiro responded. Lance could hear the concern in his voice, making him feel guilty. “Why didn't you wait for back up like I asked you too?”

Lance looked back up at the ceiling directly above his head, avoiding everyone’s surely concerned gazes. “I didn't hear you say that.” He admitted lowly, feeling ashamed of himself.

“So, you went into battle, by yourself, knowing you couldn't properly hear and could potentially damage it further?” Keith accused, sounding angry. “Why would you do something so stupid?” 

Lance shrunk back into the mattress, as pain shot through his head, wanting nothing more than to hide from Keith’s accusing tone. He had no idea how to answer without making him even angrier, so he didn’t say a word, just closed his eyes and tried to will the pain away.

Seeing as Lance wasn't going to respond, Keith turned his attention to Shiro. “And how could you let him go on that mission?” he yelled. “You’re the commanding officer, you should have taken him off the team until he was better!” 

Shiro looked taken aback by Keith's tone and frowned. “I put Lance on house arrest as per the doctor's order. I was going to take him off the team but he promised he wouldn't do anything reckless. So, I gave him a chance.” he explained calmly. “I didn't know he was going to jump into Red and go on that mission until it was too late. I tried to get him to come back, but he wouldn't listen.”

Keith growled in frustration, running his hand through his hair. “This is Lance we’re talking about. Of course he's not going to listen! You should have just taken him off the team from the beginning!” 

“Uh, part of that is my fault. I told him Lance would be true to his word.” Hunk shyly piped in.

Allura frowned over at Keith, not happy with his attitude. “I also stood up for him. Shiro is not the only one to blame. If you have a problem with how we manage our team then maybe you should have been here!” 

Lance squeezed his eyes tight and covered his ears with his hands, the screaming voices of his teammates echoing through his head, dissipating until he could only hear the distinct ringing he'd been growing accustomed too. 

Pidge noticed the movement and frowned. “Guys, shut up. Something’s wrong with Lance!” 

The others all looked over to Lance, who was curled in the fetal position, cradling his head while rocking backward and forth mumbling something into his knees.

Allura rested her hand softly on Lance’s shoulder. “Lance? What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.

“It hurts!” Lance snapped, his gaze snapping up to her shadowy figure, startling her and the team before going back to clawing at his head. 

Hunk moved over back to the bedside and gently patted Lance on the back trying to calm him down. “Shhh, its okay buddy. Sorry for being so loud. We’ll be quiet now, see?” he whispered, coaxing Lance out of his rocking.

Lance stopped a few moments later, slowly raising his head to look over at Hunk, he had tears cascading down his cheeks. He fell against Hunk’s chest as Hunk wrapped his arms around Lance’s shoulders.

“I'm so sorry.” Lance mumbled into Hunk's shirt, creating a damp spot from his tears. “I should have listened to Shiro, but I was so scared.” he cried out as Hunk began to rub his back soothingly. 

The other looked on sorrowfully as Lance broke down in front of them. 

“I didn't want you guys to worry. I thought if I pretended I was alright, then my hearing would magically fix itself.” Lance continued, between sobs. “I didn't want to be kicked of the team. Without Voltron I’m…nothing… I'm just useless.”

Hunk frowned, “Hey, that's not true.” He pulled Lance up from his chest, wiping his tears away with one of his hands. “None of us think you're useless.” 

Allura placed her hand on Lance’s shoulder again, making him turn to face her. “Hunk's right. We would never think that of you. We only want what's best for you.”

Pidge moved in tightly next to Hunk and wrapped her arms around Lance’s waist. “We love you, and we don't want to lose you.”

“You are an important member of our team Lance, don't ever think otherwise.” Shiro added from his position next to Allura.

“That's right. Even if you have to step down for a while. We wouldn't replace you.” Keith concluded. 

Lance looked around at his group of teammates and friends. He felt so lucky to have such close group of people that cared and valued him. He smiled as more tears fell down his cheeks. “Thanks, guys.” he whispered hoarsely.

The group smiled, tears welling in Pidge, Allura and Hunk’s eyes. 

“We should let you rest. It's been a long day.” Shiro said, “We'll come back and visit in the morning.” 

Pidge, Hunk and Allura all gave Lance a hug before saying their goodbyes for the night. 

Shiro stayed to see Lance settle down before making his way to leave. He noticed Keith hadn't moved and gave him a questioning look.

Keith returned his gaze and motioned he wanted a moment. 

Shiro nodded and left Keith in the room alone with Lance.

Once Keith was alone, he made his way up to Lance’s bedside where Allura had been standing earlier. He stood there for a moment just taking in Lance as he was. 

Laying there he looked like his usual Lance self, without a care in the world. His face was relaxed, no crinkle in his eyebrow to indicate he was in pain, which made Keith feel a little better. At least Lance could sleep in peace. He watched as Lance's chest rose and fell in the rhythmic pattern of his breath, almost trapping him in a trance. 

He shook his head to knock himself out of it. “I'm sorry.” he whispered, gripping the bed side rail tightly, closing his eyes. He should have been here to help, maybe he could have prevented this from happening. “I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. I promise I'll make it up to you.” Keith opened his eyes, full of determination. “I will find a way to heal you. I won't stop until I do.”

With that he let go of the bed rail and strode out of the room. He had some research to do.

 

\----

Lance woke the next day to the voices of his teammates. It took him a while to focus through the muffled sounds but it sounded like they were discussing what to do with him, so he kept his eyes closed and just listened.

“So you're sure there's nothing the doctors can do to help?” Hunk asked.

“Yes. They told me that the damage to his eyes is too severe and they’ve already told us that they could do more harm than good if they try to fix his hearing.” Shiro responded.

“So then we just find another way. Allura, can your alchemy help at all?” Pidge asked.

“Oh yes!” Hunk exclaimed excitedly. “You were able to help Lance once before and saved Shiro.” 

“I can give it a go, but my power restores life energy, I'm not sure how well it will go for healing specific areas.” Allura replied, thoughtfully. 

“It's at least worth a shot. Does anyone else have any ideas?” Shiro asked.

“I might.” Keith piped in. “I spoke with my mum and Kolivan last night to see if they knew of anything that could help and they said there is a legend of a healing spring deep in the lost corners of space. If we did some research maybe we could find it?” 

“Let's try Allura's power first. Then if that doesn't work we can look into this --” 

Shiro was cut of my Lance clearing his throat causing everyone to look down at him. 

“Lance!” Hunk exclaimed quietly as to not hurt his friend. “How are you feeling today?”

“Less sore, hearing still muffled, can still only see shadowy figures, so… peachy I guess?” he replied, sitting up a bit in his bed. “So, you guys have a plan to fix me?”

“We have some ideas at least. Would you be willing to let Allura try to heal you?” Shiro asked.

“Of course. I’m willing to do whatever it takes for a chance to fix this.”

Shiro nodded to Allura. 

“Alright, then.” Allura walked over to Lance’s bedside and placed one arm around his shoulder and one hand on his forehead. “Close your eyes and just feel the quintessence flow through you.” she explained as she too closed her eyes to concentrate. 

A few ticks later, Lance and Allura both glowed with a brilliant blue light, causing the others to either look away or lift their arms to shield their eyes. It didn't last for long, a few moments later the light dissipated, leaving the team anxiously waiting to see if it had worked.

Allura opened her eyes and removed her hand from Lance’s forehead. “You can open your eyes now.” 

Lance opened his eyes slowly, already knowing the outcome. “Sorry guys.” he glanced around, showing everyone his still clouded eyes. He had known it hadn't worked as soon as Allura had spoken to him and her words were still muffled. What were the chances of if fixing his sight if it hadn't fixed his hearing.

Everyone sighed sadly. 

“Well I guess we move onto plan B then.” Hunk murmured, looking over to Keith.

“So what do we know about this legendary healing spring?” Shiro asked.

Keith frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Not much. Kolivan just said that it lies hidden in some ancient ruins that have been lost for centuries.” he explained, turning to Pidge. “I was hoping you and Coran would help me research it and find where the lost city could be.” 

“Sure thing. But what do we do once we find it? We can't just leave Earth defenseless again. Galra ships are still arriving.” Pidge queried.

“I will take Lance myself.” Keith replied, like it was obvious. “Allura can wormhole us as close as she can and Black can teleport the rest of the way, if need be.”

“You shouldn't go alone, we don't know where this place is or what it could be infested with.” Shiro responded sternly.

“I have been flying around for months by myself looking for blade members. Some of the places I've been too have been pretty full on, but I handled them, just like I can handle this.” Keith retorted, not wanting to waste more time arguing when they could be looking for this spring. 

Shiro didn’t argue. He knew once Keith’s mind was made up there was very little he could do to change it. Besides, with the Black lion’s ability to teleport, they should be able to get out of any sticky situations they might run into. “Alright” he resigned. “But check in every so often so we know you guys are alright. And if you get into any major trouble, Allura can wormhole the rest of the team to you.”

Keith nodded. “Let’s not waste anymore time. Pidge, come with me. We have work to do.” he walked out of the room with her following closely behind.

The others watched them leave before turning back to each other.

Lance was beyond confused. “Why is Keith being so uptight about this?”

“I think it’s his way of showing he cares.” Shiro replied, crossing his arms. “Keith’s never been much of a talker, he prefers to use actions instead.”

Lance just nodded, not knowing what else to say. He knew Keith cared about the team, but the words he spoke to Lance as he was falling asleep the other night ran through his head on repeat. Keith had sounded guilty, like he was blaming himself for Lance’s condition. It made him question if Keith cared about Lance more than he thought? Hope began to fill Lance’s heart, but he quickly squashed that thought.

No, he wouldn’t be that lucky. He was just an injured soldier that needed to be healed so he could rejoin the battle. Yes, they had other pilots that could take over, but the bond of Voltron was important and it would take time if a stranger were to step up to pilot a lion. Time they didn’t have. That must be why Keith is in such a hurry to find the spring... 

The thought made Lance feel bitter. He wanted Keith to see him as more than just a teammate. He wanted to be his friend... Well he wanted to be more than that, but he knew that Keith would never feel the same. Sighing, he slumped in his bed as the others spoke to each other around him.

Suddenly the door reopened and someone walked in.

“Good morning all.” the new voice greeted, walking up to the bed. 

“Good morning Doctor, any news?” Shiro asked.

“I have some good news for Lance. We are discharging him today, so he’ll be able to head back to his room with you all.” The Doctor replied, writing something down on his clipboard.

“Is there anything he needs, or anything we need to know to help him?” Hunk asked, curiously.

The Doctor nodded, looking up at the group. “Yes. The nurse will give you some information on your way out. Lance’s hearing is still questionable, so he will still need to avoid noisy areas to avoid further damage. We will monitor him to see how he progresses.”

The other all nod silently at the information. It wasn’t anything they weren’t expecting, but hearing that nothing would likely change was hard to hear regardless. 

“Can we take him now?” Allura asked quietly.

“I don’t see why not.” the Doctor turned towards Lance. “Lance, are you up to leaving now?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lance replied, giving a small smile.

“Alright, just make sure you see the nurse on the way out to get the info.” The Doctor replied, turning to leave.

“Thanks Doctor.” Shiro said, as the doctor left the room. “I’ll go see the nurse, are you two alright to take Lance to his room?”

“We’ve got it. Thanks Shiro.” Hunk replied.

Hunk and Allura took Lance to his room where Shiro met up with them a few moments later. They spent the whole day with him to make sure he was alright before leaving him for the night.

The following days were similar. Shiro would pop in and out to check on him and Allura and Hunk would spend hours keeping him company. He never saw Pidge or Keith, but he figured they were busy looking for a place that probably didn’t exist. 

As the days rolled on, Lance lost more hope, coming to accept the fact that he was probably never going to see or hear properly again. He’d have to be kicked off the team and just sit in his dull room for the rest of eternity while everyone else lived their lives around him. He’d just become a burden to them, something that they would have to look after and eventually learn to despise. 

The dark thoughts haunted Lance as Allura, Hunk and Shiro sat in front of him, laughing about something one of them had said. He didn’t want to make his friends miserable. Even now he was being a burden. He should have listened to Shiro, he should have been more careful. He had successfully kept the team safe, but unintentionally caused them more issues. They even had to call Keith back to help deal with said issues, something Lance was sure annoyed Keith, with how dedicated he was to the blades. Maybe he should just tell them to take him off the team and to leave him, let them live without his burdens. 

Lance began to open his mouth to voice his thoughts just as the door suddenly flew open, banging against the wall, making everyone in the room jump.

“We found it!” Pidge ran in, jumping on the bed between Hunk and Allura. She brought up her computer display, showing a map of an area of space.

Keith and Coran walked in behind her.

“How did you find it?” Hunk questioned, looking at the map, squinting to try and see something other than empty space. “Where is it?”

“It’s right there.” Pidge zoomed in on the map until a small planet came into view. 

“It was very difficult to find. The planet has all but been destroyed so there is very little of it left.” Coran explained, twisting his mustache with his fingers. 

Hunk frowned and looked up at the others. “If it’s been destroyed, will the spring even still be there?”

“If there’s even the slightest chance then we have to take it.” Keith replied sternly. “We won’t know until we get there.”

“Allura will have to wormhole you guys there. The planet is in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. There is literally nothing around for light years.” Pidge explained. 

“Alright. You guys can leave in the morning.” Shiro instructed, moving to stand up. 

“We should leave now. The sooner we get there the sooner we can help Lance.” Keith argued, stubbornly.

Lance frowned solemnly, just listening to the conversation.

“No. I know you guys haven’t been sleeping much while you’ve been researching. You need to have a good night’s rest.” Shiro stood his ground. “You don’t know what is out there, and you need to be ready for anything.”

Keith huffed. “Fine, but we are leaving first thing.”

Shiro nodded at the compromise. “Alright then.”

“Should we tell the others what we are doing?” Allura asked suddenly.

“I don’t think we should alarm anyone.” Shiro replied thoughtfully. “We don’t know if it's going to work so I think we should just keep it between us until we know more.”

“I agree. We don’t need them trying to get in our way.” Keith replied. “As far as anyone else is concerned, I have gone back to my blade mission and Lance is in his room, agreed?”

Everyone nodded in agreement. 

“Okay. I will be back first thing to pick up Lance.”

Hunk stood up. “I’ll go make you guys some supplies to take on your journey.” 

Keith gave him a small smile. “Thanks, Hunk.”

“I should be off too. I need to get back to the Atlas.” Shiro said, heading for the door, stopping in front of Keith. “We’ll all meet up here first thing to see you off.” 

Keith nodded, giving Shiro a smile before he walked out the door. 

“I need to get back too. I’ve let my duties slide the last few days while we were searching for that planet.” Coran said, following Shiro out.

“I’m going to stay here with Lance.” Pidge said, moving up to sit next to Lance in his bed, snuggling into his side to keep him company. She had missed spending time with him the past few days.

“I’ll stay too.” Allura said, not moving from her spot on the bed.

“Alright. We’ll see you guys later then.” Hunk replied, walking out the door with Keith.

Keith took a moment to look back at Lance. He had noticed that Lance had not said one thing while they were there discussing what they were going to do. He didn’t look like his usual self. His hair was greasy, like he hadn’t washed it in days and his skin was pale. Keith had never seen Lance like this before. He was alway so meticulous about his looks, with his skin care routines and special products. He frowned, wanting to know what was going on, what he had missed while he had been away studying, but he couldn’t while the others were there, so he’d have to wait till they were alone tomorrow. Turning away, he closed the door and went back to his room. 

\---

Keith knocked on Lance’s door at the crack of dawn the next morning.

“Come in.” he heard Lance call, before opening the door and walking in, seeing no one else had arrived yet.

“Hey, it’s just me.” Keith announced, shutting the door behind him.

Lance looked up at Keith and raised an eyebrow. “I figured it was you, by how early it still is.” he remarked, from his position on the edge of the bed.

“Sorry, I just want to head off as soon as possible.” Keith walked up to him, stopping next to Lance, but not sitting down. He noticed Lance had already changed out of his pajamas. He also looked a little more lively than the previous day. “Are you ready?”

Lance nodded and stood up. “Allura and Pidge helped pack some things for me since we don’t know how long we’ll be gone.” he motioned to the bag on the ground by the end of the bed. 

Keith noticed that the collar of Lance’s shirt was sitting weird and moved to fix it, his fingers brushing against Lance’s neck slightly, causing him to freeze and stare at the shadowy figure in front of him with wide eyes. 

“Sorry, your collar was all folded in on itself.” Keith explained, removing his hands quickly and turning away to hide the blush that covered his cheeks- not that Lance could see it, but he felt embarrassed for doing something so personal. He scolded himself for falling back into the comfortable feeling of being close to Lance. Even after all the time away, his feelings hadn’t changed. Seeing Lance like this just made him feel more possessive and protective of the other man.

A knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts.

“Come in.” Lance called behind him.

The door opened to reveal the rest of the team.

Hunk walked in first with a box. “I spent most the night making you guys some amazing road trip food.” He explained proudly.

Lance smiled, walking slowly over to the shadow he knew was his best friend, reaching out to touch his arm. “Thanks Hunk, they smell amazing!”

Hunk wrapped one arm around Lance, squeezing him to his chest. “Please be careful out there.” 

Lance smiled into Hunk’s chest, wrapping his arms around him. Hunks hugs were always his favourite. “Don’t worry, our fierce leader over there will keep us safe.” He joked. “Right, Keith?” he pulled back to look at Keith by the bed.

Keith nodded. “I’ll make sure we get back safely.”

Pidge walked up to Keith and pulled him into a hug. “Make sure you do. We just got you back.”

Keith smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I promise, we’ll be back soon.”

Shiro walked over to Keith and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Everything is set to go. We’ll walk you guys down to the Black Lion.”

Allura grabbed Lance’s bag her and Pidge had packed the night before and walked over to Lance, taking his hand into hers. “You sure about this?” 

Lance nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be fine.” he reassured her.

She gripped his hand tightly. “Alright. Let’s get you guys to the Black lion before everyone wakes up.” 

Keith frowned slightly at their interaction. Why wouldn’t Lance be sure about going? Was she worried he wouldn’t be able to keep Lance safe? He wondered if anyone else thought he couldn’t handle this. Was Lance worried…? Was he joking just now, when he told Hunk that he’d keep them safe? Keith shook the thoughts from his head as the group filed out of the room. He couldn’t let himself be distracted. His priority was getting Lance to the healing spring. Nothing else mattered. 

Taking a deep breath, he followed the group out of Lance’s room. 

They walked quickly and silently towards the hangers. It was still early so there was no one around, but they didn’t want to take the chance someone would catch them. Allura and Hunk were on either side of Lance, guiding him down the corridors as the rest walked slightly ahead. 

It didn’t take them long to reach the lion. 

As Keith approached, the Black lion opened its mouth to allow them entry. He walked over to Hunk and took the box of food supplies from him. “Thank you guys for your help.” he started, looking around at the group. Pidge, Hunk, Allura and Coran looked like they wanted to cry. “I promise to keep you guys updated.” he finished, trying to reassure the group.

Allura, Hunk and Pidge hugged Lance, each telling him to be safe and to come back soon.

Shiro walked up to Keith. “Stay safe and call us if you get into any trouble, alright?” 

Keith smiled. “Will do. See you soon.” he replied, before walking over to Lance. 

Allura handed his bag over to him as Keith came up to them. 

“Ready?” Keith asked, holding out his elbow for Lance to grab, while he still held the box.

Lance nodded, as he felt around for Keith. Hunk guided his hand to Keith’s elbow. Lance smiled gratefully back at Hunk as Keith guided him to his lion. 

“Watch your step here, we’re about to head into Black.” Keith guided, watching as Lance carefully stepped forward, checking out the surface before completing his step to make sure it was safe. 

Keith waited patiently for Lance as he slowly walked up into the lion. “Just stay here for a moment while I put this box down.” he requested, feeling Lance drop his grip so he could move. He quickly placed the box down to the side of the cockpit and walked back over to Lance.

“Here.” He placed a hand on Lance’s back, taking his arm in the other, to walk him over to the area he had set up for him to sit in.

Lance bent down to sit against the wall and noticed something soft covering the floor. A blanket? 

“I hope this will be a bit more comfortable than sitting on the hard floor at least.” Keith said, helping him down. 

Lance felt his heart flutter slightly. He wasn’t expecting Keith to try and make him comfortable. “Thanks.” he replied, trying to keep his voice calm as his heart thudded against his chest. 

Keith smiled gently down at him. “No problem.” He stood to move over to his chair, his lion coming to life as he took the controls. “Alright, let’s go.”

The Black lion took off out of the hanger, leaving the others behind and up into the sky. Keith could see the sun begin to rise on the horizon, dusting the sky in a soft light. A wormhole suddenly appeared in front of him. “Hold on Lance, we’re about to go through the wormhole.” He warned, looking back to make sure Lance had heard him before flying through.

The wormhole trip was nothing out of the ordinary, it wasn’t until they flew out the otherside that things became bizarre. “What the hell?” Keith yelled, pulling on his controls quickly to avoid hitting what looked a frozen asteroid.

“What is it?” Lance called out, pulling the blanket around himself as he pushed himself against the wall to try and steady himself. Why did it get so cold all of a sudden?

Keith continued to fly Black through the asteroid field, weavinging in and out of the frozen rocks. “We’re in an asteroid field, but the rocks are completely frozen.” he replied, the cold air becoming visible as it left his lips. 

That would explain the sudden change in temperature. Lance thought to himself as he held back a shiver. “Are we close to the planet?” 

“I don’t know.” Keith snapped, frowning as he continued his maneuvers. “I’m a little too busy to check right now.”

Lance huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “No need to get snippy.” he mumbled, feeling useless as he sat there unable to see what was going on. 

Suddenly he was thrown across the cockpit, his head slamming into the opposite wall. His ears instantly began to ring, his mind blank as a wave of dizziness came over him. He grabbed his head, curled into himself on the floor against the wall to try and regain some focus.

“LANCE!” Keith called out, as he tried to regain some control over his lion after being hit by one of the asteroids. The Black lions power faded in and out as it spun out into the open expanse of space outside of the asteroid field. “Come on, come on.” Keith chanted, trying to get his lion to respond. 

Eventually the lion slowed down, but Keith couldn’t get the power back on. “Damn it.” He growled, getting out of his seat.

He rushed over to Lance who was still huddled on the floor. “Lance?” 

When Lance made no movement, Keith knelt down next to him and carefully placed a hand on his back, causing Lance to jump back in shock. “Whoa, it’s okay. It’s just me.” Keith replied soothingly, removing his hand.

Lance frowned at him, shaking his head. “What?!” he yelled, not hearing what Keith had said. 

Keith frowned in response, realising Lance’s hearing must have been affected when he hit the wall. He sighed, not really knowing how to communicate with Lance if he couldn’t see or hear him. Hopefully his hearing would come back at last enough to hear him soon.

Keith looked up and realised that Lance’s hair was wet on the right side. He moved his hand up to touch the area, causing Lance to flinch. He pulled back his fingers and saw that they were covered in blood. 

Lance went to touch the area, but Keith took his hands and placed them down. “You’re bleeding. Wait here.” he said, tapping Lance’s hands to tell him to stay put.

He stood up and walked over to his bag he had packed the night before, pulling it open to search for the medical supplies. He grabbed the small bag and a bottle of water and walked back over to Lance, kneeling so he was sitting on his knees. He placed the water down and gently touched Lance’s shoulder to let him know he was there. 

“How’s your hearing?” Keith asked loudly, pulling out a cloth from his medical bag.

Lance frowned for a moment, before replying. “I can sort of hear you now, but you’ll need to speak slower. The ringing is still really loud.” he explained, guessing that’s what Keith was asking. All he had heard him say was ‘hearing?’.

“Alright.” Keith replied, wetting the cloth with some water. “I’m going to try and clean this cut, it might sting a bit.” he explained slowly and clearly so Lance could understand him. 

Lance nodded, and sat still, waiting for Keith’s touch.

Very gently, Keith began to dab at the bloody patch in Lance’s hair. He took care to not press too hard as to not aggravate the area and cause Lance unnecessary pain. It took him a few moments to clean around the area, moving the hair out of the way so he could get a better look. 

“It doesn’t look too serious. I’ll just put some antiseptic on it so it doesn’t get infected.” Keith said, letting Lance know what was going on. He put the dirty cloth down and grabbed a tube of antiseptic cream from his bag. With a clean wipe, he carefully applied the cream to the cut, causing Lance to hiss in pain. “I’m sorry, but we need to keep it clean.” 

“It’s fine.” Lance replied, shivering. Even though they were out of the asteroid field, they were still close enough to the frozen rocks to be affected by the cold temperature.

Keith pulled the blanket back up around Lance’s shoulders. “Keep warm. I’m not sure how long we’re going to be here.”

“What happened?” Lance asked, pulling the blanket around himself further.

Keith began packing up the medical supplies. “An asteroid hit the side of Black and sent us spinning. I haven't been able to get Black’s power back online yet.” he explained.

Lance pulled his knees up to his chest as he leaned against the wall. “I’m sorry.”

Keith frowned down at him. “What for?” he asked confused.

“I distracted you and I couldn’t help you. I’m pretty useless at the moment.” Lance replied solemnly. 

Keith rested his hand on Lance’s shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault. The asteroid came out of nowhere. I’m sorry for snapping at you.” he said, moving to sit next to Lance against the wall. “And you’re not useless. Once we get to the spring, we’ll get you healed and everything will be fine.”

Lance just nodded before resting his head against the wall behind him and closed his eyes. 

\---

They sat there in silence for hours, waiting for the Black lion to come back online.   
Keith reached for the water bottle that was sitting nearby and took a large gulp of water.

“Do you want some water?” he asked, after he finished, handing the bottle to Lance. 

Lance rolled his head against the wall into Keith direction, removing his arm from the blanket to try and find the bottle.

Keith took Lance’s hand and placed the water bottle in it to help him out.

“Keith, your hand is freezing. Don’t you have a blanket?” Lance asked before taking a sip from the bottle.

“I’m fine.” Keith replied. When Lance finished drinking and offered the bottle in Keith’s direction, he took it back and screwed the lid back on.

Lance moved his arm around blindly, looking for Keith before hitting Keith’s chest plate. He slowly moved his hand up, feeling up along the hard chest plate to Keith’s neck and stopped as his fingers caressed his cheeks. “Your skin is like ice, man!” he yelped at the drastic difference in temperature from his warm hand to Keith’s cold skin, pulling his hand away. “Get under the blanket with me.” he demanded, moving to offer the blanket around Keith. 

Keith sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with Lance on this. Lance was always worried about his friends and would do anything to keep them safe. Evidently that meant putting himself in danger. 

Frowning, Keith grabbed the corner of the blanket and wrapped it around himself, snuggling shoulder to shoulder with Lance against the wall. He didn’t realise how cold he was until the warmth of the blanket and Lance’s body heat radiated around him, sending a shiver down his body. This was nice.

He sat there quietly for a while, contemplating. He had to know what had happened. Why Lance was the only one to get hurt. Now was a good as time as any to find out. 

“What happened while I was gone?” he asked softly.

He felt Lance stiffen slightly against him, but didn’t immediately offer up the information. His gaze turned hard, staring firmly at the space across from them, actively avoiding Keith’s gaze. “The usual. Fighting Galra, upgrading weapons, being diplomats.” he replied emotionlessly. 

“But what happened to you? Why were you the only one constantly injured?” Keith insisted, turned to look at him and frowned. “Shiro told me how many times you’ve been in and out of the hospital.”

Lance shrugged slightly, and it made a hot flash of anger singe through Keith’s body. “Guess I’m not that great of a paladin.” Lance replied casually.

“You really expect me to believe that?” Keith snapped, “You’re one of the best paladins on the team, that’s why I left you in charge.” 

Lance frowned and finally turned to face Keith. “What do you want me to say, man?” He sighed, exasperated. “I did what you asked. I kept the team safe.”

Anger finally bubbled out of Keith’s core, clawing its way up his throat until he yelled, “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt in the process!”

“Why do you even care?” Lance bit back. “You left us. Again.”

“So, this is my fault?” Keith moved from out of the blanket so he could face Lance. He was starting to get really angry with Lance’s apathetic attitude. “I was on a mission. I thought you could handle it! Clearly I was wrong.” he spat.

Lance stilled at Keith’s words and slumped back against the wall with the air of defeat, yanking the blanket that Keith had pulled out of around himself. “Clearly.” he mumbled, and turned away from Keith, having enough of the argument.

Keith clenched his fists tightly by his sides, instantly regretting snapping at Lance. “Lance, I didn't mean that-”

Lance glared up at Keith's shadowy form in front of him, cutting off any further attempt of an apology he had thought up. “Well, you know what? I think you did. If you hate us so much why did you bother coming back?” 

Keith was shocked by Lance's outburst. “Wha--? I don't hate you--”

“Then why do you keep leaving? It's like you can't stand to be around us, or something.” Lance butted in, not giving Keith a chance to explain. 

Keith was silent for a moment, waiting to see if Lance was going to say anymore, when he didn’t, he began explaining. “I was helping the Blades... my mum.” he replied calmly. “I came straight back when the others told me what had happened. I told you, I will do whatever it takes to get you healed and back on the team.”

Lance scoffed and looked away. “And then what? You'll just fly off again the moment I'm better?” 

Keith just stared down at Lance. He didn't know how to respond to that because he didn't know what he was going to do. 

“Your silence answers my question.” Lance says bitterly, interrupting Keith's thoughts.

Keith took a deep breath to calm himself, trying not to let Lance's harsh words affect him. “Let's just focus on finding this spring first. We'll worry about what comes after, when we get back.” he replied, walking back towards his pilot seat. 

“Whatever.” Lance mumbled, pressing his head into his arms that were resting on his knees. 

Keith sat down and sighed. He didn’t understand why Lance had been so defensive with him. Did Lance really blame him for what happened? Did the team blame him? Had his absence really made that much of an impact on the team? He didn’t have much time to ponder that as the Black lion’s power flickered back on. 

Grabbing the controls, he took a deep breath to calm himself before heading to the coordinates Pidge had given him. Maybe some quiet would help Lance cool down. 

\---

 

The planet was bigger than he had expected. Large chunks of rock floated around the planet, hovering in its atmosphere from where it had been hit by something, probably some sort of weapon. Keith flew around the planet, trying to see if he could find where the spring was, so he could land near it, but there was no sign of it anywhere on the surface, no signs of ruins, just dry mountainous terrain. 

Sighing in frustration, he decided just to pick somewhere safe to land Black. They would just have to find it on foot. Finding a relatively flat area surrounded by cliffs, Keith flew down and gently landed. He looked back to see if Lance was still awake, having not heard a single sound from him since their fight. 

“We’re here.” He announced, getting up to walk over to Lance. 

Lance didn’t say anything, just moved to stand up on his own.

Keith sighed but didn’t push it. “We’ll need to take some supplies. It looks like the whole planet is desert and I couldn’t see the spring from the sky so we’ll need to search ourselves.” he explained, grabbing his bag and filling it with water and food. 

Lance didn’t reply, he just started to walk towards the light he assumed was the door to exit the lion.

Keith frowned and let out a deep breath to try and remain calm. Lance was making this much more difficult than it should have been. Pulling the bag up over his shoulder, he walked over to Lance and grabbed his arm, guiding him down the lions ramp. 

He felt Lance flinch under his grip and try to pull away. Keith kept his hold firm. “I don’t care if you’re angry with me or not talking to me, I’m not letting you walk around on your own.” 

Lance huffed in reply, but stopped resisting. There was very little he could do in his situation and whether he liked it or not, he needed Keith’s help to get around. But that didn’t mean he had to talk to the guy. 

Once they were down off the lion and a few meters away, Black put up it’s forcefield to keep itself safe while they were away. Keith looked around. He couldn’t see much from where they were as they had cliffs on both sides of them. He had no idea where to even start looking for the spring, but standing there thinking about it, wasn’t getting them any closer.

He began walking along the dry sandy edges of the cliffs towards the open expanse of the desert he saw flying in, keeping an eye on the ground for anything that could trip Lance along the way. Lance walked closely by his side, taking careful slow steps through the uneven ground.

This was gonna take a while, Keith thought with a sigh.

\----

 

The had been walking for hours. The planet’s sun beat down on them ruthlessly, making them hot and sticky with sweat. Keith stopped and looked around. There was nothing but sand and cliffs for miles. He looked back over at Lance, who had his eyes closed, taking ragged breaths. 

Keith took a water bottle from his bag and opened the lid, lifting Lance’s hand to take the bottle. “Here, drink.” he instructed, moving to get a bottle for himself as well. 

Lance took the bottle quietly, and pressed it to his lips, taking several mouthfuls to quench his thirst. He took a deep breath when he was done, trying to catch his breath. This planet really sucked. “Do you know where we are going?” he asked tiredly. 

Keith sighed, putting his water away. “No. I don’t know where the spring is.” he resigned. 

“We don’t even know it exists.” Lance growled under his breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his wrist. “If this heat and desert is anything to go by, it probably dried up years ago.” 

Keith frowned, taking Lance’s water bottle from him. “We can’t give up. It’s out here somewhere.” he insisted, turning away to look around them again. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was slowly losing hope in finding the spring, but he had promised Lance that he would fix him. He couldn’t give up this easily. They just had to keep going.

“It’s pointless. We are just going to get ourselves killed out here.” Lance exasperated, moving to sit on the hot sand.

Keith looked down at Lance. “What are you doing?”

Lance laid back onto the ground, stretching out his limbs and letting his feet rest. “Taking a break.” he stated, like it was obvious. “I’m tired and it’s hot.” 

Keith frowned and grabbed one of Lance’s arms in an attempt to pull him up. “No, get up, we have to keep moving.” he huffed. 

“Stop!” Lance pulled his arm out of Keith’s grip roughly, causing him to stumble. “You can go ahead if want, but I need to take a break. Not everyone has the stamina of a Galra.” he bit back. 

Keith stared at him in shock. He hadn’t expected Lance to throw being Galra in his face like that. He plopped himself down next to Lance quietly, wondering what he had done to make Lance hate him so much. He clenched his hands tightly as his heart thudded against his chest painfully. He didn’t understand. He had done nothing but try to help Lance since he got back. 

“What is your problem.” he mumbled to himself as he glared out at the dry grains of sand in front of him.

“What?” Lance asked, shifting his head towards Keith so he could try and hear him clearer.

Keith snapped around and glared down at Lance. “I said what is your problem!” he yelled. Feeling hurt and angry, he let his emotions get the better of him. “The Lance I know wouldn’t have acted like this.”

Lance sat up and glared at Keith’s shadowy figure in front of him. “Well that’s what happens when you’re away so long; people change, they grow up. It’s not my fault you’re missing out.” he spat back.

Keith narrowed his eyes angrily, Lance’s words piercing his heart like daggers. “Fine, since you seem to hate me so much, I’ll leave for good. Once this is over, I’ll pack up and go. You won’t have to put up with me anymore.”

“You are so stupid!” Lance let out a frustrated scream. “I don’t hate you.”

Keith scoffed and looked away angrily. “You have a funny way of showing it!” he exclaimed, crossing his arms. “You’ve been angry at me this whole journey and I have no idea what I’ve done to upset you!”

Lance looked away. “You left! What’s not to understand.” he replied angrily.

Keith looked back over at Lance. “I was on a mission.” he explained again, trying to calm himself down.

Lance sighed dejectedly, “But you’ve been on so many missions. Why can’t you just stay with us for a while?”

Keith frowned at the sadness in Lance’s voice. He didn’t realise his absence had caused Lance so much pain. “I- uh, I’m sorry… I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Lance glared back over towards Keith. “How is leaving us ‘doing the right thing’?”

Keith stilled, frowning out at the horizon. “Lance, shut up.” He said, trying to listen for the noise he had just heard.

Lance huffed. “Don’t tell me to shut-” he began, but was interrupted by Keith’s hand covering his mouth. 

“Shh.” Keith said again, moving to get up quietly. 

Lance stilled, sensing Keith’s change in demeanor and looked around anxiously. 

Keith surveyed the area around them. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear something causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. He bent down to grab Lance. “Get up and run.” he said quietly, close enough to Lance’s ear so he could still hear him.

Lance got up quickly with the help of Keith. “What is it?” he whispered as Keith took his hand and began pulling him along.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s coming fast.” 

Lance tightened his grip on Keith’s hand as they ran, the adrenaline coursing through their bodies making them run faster. Lance had no idea where they were running to, but he trusted Keith and knew that he would keep them safe. 

Keith suddenly pulled Lance into his chest, turning him around as he came to a stop. He passed his bag over to Lance. “Lance, stay behind me and don’t move.” he urged, letting go of him and moving away.

Lance heard the sound of Keith’s bayard activating. “Keith! What’s going on?” he called out, seeing several large shadows coming towards them.

“Just stay there. I’ve got this.” Keith assured him, glaring down the large beasts that had been chasing them. Each one was the size of a large bear, with long snouts and sharp teeth. They sneered and growled at Keith as he raised his sword. 

One charged at Keith, swiping at him with its large paw. Keith dodged and sliced the beast along its side, making it howl in pain. That made the others angry and they began to run at Keith, growling and snapping. He did his best to dodge and hit as many as he could, but there were too many. He yelped out in pain as one got a hit in, sending him flying across the ground, the claws ripping the black material covering his waist.

“KEITH!” Lance yelled, hearing Keith’s painful scream. He had to do something, he couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. He took a deep breath and pulled out his bayard. He might not be able to see clearly, but the beasts shadows were large enough that he could at least attempt to aim. He took a shot, injuring one of the creatures that was heading over towards Keith. 

“Lance, what the hell are you doing?” Keith called out, pushing himself off the ground slowly. It felt like he had been hit by a bus. His ribs were definitely bruised, if not broken from the power of the beast’s swing. He winced as he stood up, grabbing his side. He had to save Lance. 

Lance was still attempting to shoot all the large shadows. Since he was blind, however, he wasn’t able to make clean shots which just made the creatures he didn’t kill angrier as they rushed at him in pain and anger. 

Keith ran up to Lance and pushed him out of the way as one of the beasts rushed at Lance from the side, opening its mouth to take a bite out of him. Instead, it bit down on Keith’s leg, causing him to scream out in pain. It was the most excruciating pain he had ever felt in his entire life but he knew that if he didn’t get this beast off he could very well lose his leg. 

Pulling whatever strength he had left, he lifted his sword and drove it down into the beasts head, killing it instantly and making it’s jaw go slack. 

Lance rushed up to him, feeling around for Keith on the ground. “Keith!! Keith? Are you alright?” he asked frantically, his hands finding Keith’s chest. 

Keith winced as the pressure of Lance's touch, moving to take his hand off his battered body. “I'm here.” he replied, trying to keep his voice steady so not to alarm Lance. “We need to move, there are still two alive.” he explained, trying to free his leg from the jaws of the dead beast. 

Lance grabbed his shoulders and helped pull him up the best he could. Keith all but slumped into Lance's chest, not having enough energy to stand on his own. 

Lance stumbled back as Keith's full weight tumbled into him. He lifted Keith's arm over his shoulders and lifted him, supporting most of his weight. “Come on, I need your help, buddy. They aren't going to stay down for long.” he said, hearing the rustling sound of movement behind them. He had to get Keith to safety now, but he had no idea where he was walking. 

He continued to drag Keith along, stumbling every so often over small rocks and ditches. Keith seemed to be out of it for the most part, which frightened Lance a little. It meant Keith had been badly injured and he felt useless since he couldn't do anything for him in his current state. Right now he just had to find somewhere safe to rest, somehow. Somewhere he could check Keith's body for injuries and patch him up as best he could. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath them crumbled and they slid, rolling and skidding down what Lance assumed was a cliff face. Lance didn't know how long they fell, but when they landed at the bottom with a thud, his body was covered in gravel rashes, cuts and bruises and the ringing in his ears returned. 

Groaning, Lance rolled over and sat up, looking around for where Keith had fallen.   
“Keith?” he called out, searching the ground for a shadowy figure, ignoring the thumping pain in his head.

He heard a muffled moan to his left and started to crawl slowly over to it. “Keith?”

“Wha- what… happened?” Keith asked, grimacing as the pain rippled through his body like it was on fire.

“You fought those creatures and then we fell down a cliff.” Lance explained, as his hands found Keith's face, he lifted it onto his lap. “How injured are you? You kinda passed out for a bit.”

Keith slowly lifted his head to look down at his leg. His armor had been destroyed, the black material was ripped and shredded and covered in blood. Blood that was still seeping out of the bite wound, and, was that bone sticking out? Laying his head back down Keith groaned. His leg was in bad shape, he probably wouldn't be able to walk far on it and it he really should get a start on stopping that bleeding. 

“Uh-” he began, not really knowing what to tell Lance. He didn't want Lance to know how bad it was, but he couldn't lie either. “My leg is pretty messed up. I don't think I'll be able to walk on it.” he explained, leaving out the severity of the details. 

He looked around. They were at the bottom of a cliff, like the one they had started in. Looking up, he saw the two beasts looking down at them. At least they were safe from them for the time being, but who knew what else could be out there.

“We should find a place to rest for the night and bandage you up.” Lance said, pulling Keith from his thoughts. 

Keith hummed as he looked around, seeing a small alcove not far from their location. “There's a small cave just over there, let's go check it out.” he replied, trying to push himself up, causing pain to shoot through every inch of his body. He grimaced again, groaning as he gave up. 

Lance noticed his failed attempt and grabbed him around his shoulders, slowly helping him to a sitting position. “Here, lean into me.” he instructed, helping Keith lift himself off the ground. 

Keith hopped a few times, testing his foot on the ground as he held onto Lance for support. With each slight touch, his foot felt like it was being engulfed in flames, shooting searing pain through his leg. So yeah, walking was not gonna happen, Keith sighed in frustration.

Lance moved so his back was to Keith’s chest. “Hop on, I'll carry you.” he said, moving the bag so it was across his chest so there was room for Keith. 

Keith frowned. “No, I'm not letting you carry me.” he replied stubbornly. He was not some damsel in distress. The alcove wasn't that far, he was sure he could make it. 

Lance sighed. “Come on. I'm not letting you walk and hurt yourself further.” He didn't know how injured Keith was- since Keith had a habit of not telling the full story- but judging by his labored breath and winces every time he moved, Lance assumed it was pretty bad. There was no way in hell he was going to let Keith make it worse for no reason. “Just tell me where I need to go and I'll get us there.” 

Keith huffed in annoyance, not at Lance, but at the situation, but gave in as exhaustion wracked his body and he couldn't be bothered to argue. “Alright.” he resigned, shifting to climb onto Lance's back.

Lance helped lift Keith up, hooking his arms carefully around his back, supporting Keith's weight as Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck to hold on. They slowly made their way forward with Keith's direction.

Lance tried to remain calm as Keith's face rested against his, his labored breath puffing against his cheek as he guided Lance towards the alcove. Even with his muffled hearing, he could tell Keith was exhausted and in pain by the tone of his voice. He had to hurry and get them out of the blazing heat of the sun. 

He started to walk quicker, stumbling over an uneven patch of ground. 

“Lance, take it slow.” Keith mumbled out, tightening his grip so he wouldn't fall off.

“You're hurt, we need to get you somewhere safe so you can rest.” Lance replied, shifting Keith's weight back evenly across his back. He continued to march forward. 

“-m fine.” Keith mumbled again, as his eyes began to feel heavy. He felt so incredibly tired and his leg still felt like it was on fire, every movement sending searing pain up through his body. He just wanted to sleep and forget the the pain.

“Liar.” Lance huffed. “We’re nearly there, I just need you to stay awake. Can you do that?” he asked, bouncing Keith’s body to try and keep him conscious.

Keith moaned at the movement as he opened his eyes to try and focus. He could see the alcove just ahead. Lance needed him to guide him there, he had to stay awake. “Just… a few more steps, go more left.” 

Lance altered his direction, following Keith's instruction. After a few steps he felt a cool darkness cover them, shading them from the sun. “Do you want me to stop here?”

Keith shook his head slowly. “Further, incase those things come back.” he explained.

Lance removed one of his arms from his back and felt along the wall, letting it guide him. He trusted Keith would let him know if there was something blocking the path, even in his current state.

“Stop.” Keith suddenly said, making Lance halt. “This will do.” he added, removing his arms from Lance's neck.

Lance bent down to help Keith sit on the cold ground without hurting his leg too much before coming to sit next to him. He pulled the bag off and placed it in front of them.

“Tell me the truth, how bad is your leg?” he asked firmly.

Keith rolled his head across the wall he was perched against tiredly and looked down at his leg. “There's lot of blood and maybe a bone sticking out.” he replied, not having the energy to try and keep it secret anymore.

“Damn it, Keith.” Lance growled out as he opened the bag to look for the medical supplies. “And you were going to walk on it. Why didn't you tell me?”

“Sorry.” Keith mumbled, shifting so he could grab the bag from Lance. “Let me do it.” 

Lance huffed in frustration, letting Keith take the bag. “I want to help. I know you're in more pain than you’re letting on so please, just let me help you.” 

Keith looked down at his leg and then back at Lance. It would be awkward to do it himself and he was extremely tired. “I need to cut the shredded material, then I’ll get you to stop the bleeding, clean the wound and then strap it.” he explained. “Think you can do that?”

Lance nodded his head eagerly. “Just hand me what I need and let me know where so I don't hurt you.” he replied, moving down towards Keith's outstretched leg. 

Keith nodded, pulling out a pair of scissors and painfully leaning forward, putting pressure on his broken ribs to begin cutting the tattered cloth around his leg, pulling off any parts that had dried to his leg carefully. “I’m cutting away the material from my ankle up to my knee.” he explained, to give Lance an idea of the wounded area. Once he was done, Keith rustled through the bag again, pulling out a clean cloth. “Here.” he said, handing it over to Lance. “It's going to hurt, but I need you to put pressure on this deep cut to stop the bleeding.” he moved Lance's hands so they were above the area he had to press down on. 

“Alright. Ready?” Lance asked, wanting to make sure Keith was prepared for the sudden influx of pain he was about to cause him.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Keith nodded. “Yeah.”

Lance carefully pushed the cloth down onto the wound making Keith tense up and gasp in pain. “You alright?” he asked, concerned. He really didn't like causing Keith pain, but it was necessary. 

“Yeah, just keep the pressure on.” Keith hissed out, finding a rock on the ground to squeeze in his hand to try and ground himself. 

Lance sat there for a while, pressing down on the wound as Keith seemed to fall in and out of consciousness. He couldn't feel any more blood flow, but without his sight he couldn't be sure. “Keith?” he asked, hoping he was awake. 

“Hmm?” Keith replied sleepily, in a dazed state. 

“Can you see if it's still bleeding? I can't feel anymore blood.” 

Keith tiredly opened his eyes to take a look as Lance lifted the blood drenched cloth. “No… Looks okay now.”

“Good.” Lance sighed as he sat back on his legs. “How are you feeling?” he asked, putting the cloth down beside him.

“Tired and in pain.” Keith replied simply. 

Lance nodded, not really knowing what to say to that. He looked back down at Keith's leg and wished he could see it so he could help without asking what to do or where he needed to be. He shook his head, there was no time for self pity, he had to finish helping Keith. “Uh… so I need to clean it next, right?” 

Keith hummed, opening his eyes, which had fallen shut again at some point, to rummage through the bag again to find the antiseptic. He handed the bottle to Lance. “Just pour it over the whole calf, there's too many wounds to clean individually.” he stated.

Lance gulped as he took the bottle and unscrewed the lid. Maybe it was a good thing he couldn't see Keith's leg, if the images in his head were anything to go by. 

He took a breath as he felt for Keith's foot, giving him a starting point. Carefully he began to pour liquid over Keith's injuries. 

“Nngggggh.” Keith moaned out in pain as the antiseptic hit the open wounds. He pressed his back into the rocky wall and squeezed his eyes closed. He thought the initial pain was bad, but nothing could have prepared him for this blinding pain. He was definitely awake now. 

“Keith?!” Lance called out concerned.

“It- it's fine. Just… Keep going.” he urged, wanting it to be over as soon as possible.

Lance continued his treatment until all the area had been covered, gently taking a clean cloth Keith handed to him to wipe away any dried blood and dirt. 

By the time Lance had finished, Keith was breathing hard, tears welling in the corners of his eyes and the rock he had been gripping cut into his palm. 

Lance looked worriedly over at Keith. “How’re you holding up?” 

Keith was silent for a few moments, trying to calm himself. “I’m alright.” he said eventually, letting out a shallow breath. 

“Alright.” Lance replied, believing he was telling the truth. “What should I use to strap your leg with?” 

Keith looked around to see if there was any long pieces of wood or sticks around, but found nothing but dirt and rocks. “There's nothing around, so we're just going to have to wrap it as is.” he explained, grabbing a long bandage from his bag.

Lance frowned. “But you have bone sticking out, we need to secure it or it will heal weirdly.” 

Keith shrugged, handing the bandage to Lance. “Once we find the spring, it will heal fine.” 

Lance scoffed as he began bandaging Keith's leg carefully. “You still believe its real?” he asked disbelievingly.

“I do.” Keith replied, resting his head back against the wall. “We are going to find it and get your sight and hearing back.” he said determinedly.

Lance finished up bandaging and crawled back to lean against the wall next to Keith. “Why are you so determined to help me?” he asked quietly. He had been wondering why ever since that night Keith had whispered to him as he slept. 

“Because I wasn't there to help.” Keith replied back solemnly, staring out at the wall in front of him. “I was too busy distracting myself from my stupid feelings to be there for my team… For you.”

Keith's voice faded to a whisper as he spoke, but Lance caught what he had said and turned to him confused. “What do you mean?”

Keith turned away, ashamed. “Don't worry about it, it's not important.” he clasped his hands nervously in his lap. He shouldn’t have let that slip. “What's important is that we find the spring and get you fixed.” he stated, trying to redirect the conversation. 

Lance wasn't having that though. He needed to know what Keith meant, why he left the team again. “Don't tell me to not worry about it. What were you running away from? I need to know.” he insisted. 

Keith sighed, knowing Lance wouldn't drop the subject until he had answered him. “I was trying to stay out of your way.” he half explained. 

“Out of my way for what?” Lance frowned, even more confused than before. “Did I do something to upset you?” he asked, his heart pounding in his chest with anxiety as he thought back at what he could have possibly done.

“No, it's not your fault. It's mine.” Keith replied, his hands fidgeting in his lap as he tried to think of the best way to explain himself. “I- I couldn't handle seeing you and Allura together.” he blurted out quickly, closing his eyes in embarrassment, feeling his cheeks flush.

“Oh.” Lance replied half heartedly as he felt his heart drop to his stomach, he suddenly felt really sick. “Uh, well… you don't have to worry about that.” he started, leaning back against the wall away from Keith. “I mean, we did try to go out a few months back, but it just didn't feel right. We both want different things for the future, so we decided to just stay friends.” he explained.

Keith looked over in shock. “What?” 

Lance looked down at his hands. He was kinda glad he couldn't see Keith's face right now. “So yeah, she's free if you wanna ask her out or whatever.” he replied, trying not to sound too upset. 

Keith shook his head, dumbfounded. “It's not Allura I wanted to ask.” 

“Wait. What?” It was Lance's turn to look up in shock at Keith's confession. “You-- you want to go out with me?” he asked, his heart beating rapidly in his chest again as he waited for Keith's reply. 

“Yeah.” he replied, looking away again, waiting for the rejection.

“Since when?” Lance asked, still in shock. 

Keith frowned, feeling self conscious. “Just forget I said anything. I know you don't like me that way.” 

Lance grabbed Keith's shoulders and turned him gently to face him. “I realised when you left for the Blade of Marmora.” 

Keith raised an eyebrow, confused, by Lance’s actions. “Realised what?” 

“That I liked you, dummy.” he deadpanned. 

Keith’s eyes widened at Lance's statement, as his cheeks began to burn with a blush. “Uh-” he ducked his head slightly, embarrassed by what he was about to say. “Since I cradled you in my arms…” he confessed lowly.

Lance's mouth fell open in shock. That was back at the beginning of their journey. Back when Lance had still seen Keith as a rival and antagonized him. “Dude, seriously that long?!” he exclaimed in disbelief. How had he not noticed this whole time?

“Yeah?” Keith replied sheepishly, as he watched Lance's mouth open and close as he tried to think of something to say.

“Wow, I'm dumb.” he ended with.

Keith shook his head in disagreement. “Not dumb, just dense. Also you were kinda busy flirting with every female you came across.” he concluded. 

“Oh my god!” Lance’s eyes widened in realisation. “Keith, I am so sorry. I had no idea.” he rushed out, feeling guilty for all those times he had flirted with girls in front of Keith, never knowing how much he had been hurting him. 

Keith shrugged. “It's fine, I knew most those girls wouldn't like you back-” he was interrupted by Lance shouting an offended ‘hey’ causing Keith to smile, before he continued. “It wasn't until Allura started to show signs of liking you back that it began to bug me and I just had to get away for a bit.”

Lance moved one of his hands up Keith's neck to cup his cheek, rubbing his thumb softly over his skin. He understood now, and it made him feel like he was as light as a feather. All his worries seemed to have vanished in that one moment and there was only one thing left he wanted to do. One thing to show Keith that it was him that he wanted to be with.

He moved forward slightly, towards Keith’s face, but paused, not wanting to make a fool of himself. “I want to kiss you right now, but I can't see your lips, so... A little help here?” 

Keith chuckled quietly before closing the distance and pressing his lips to Lance’s, his own hand reaching up to caress the base of Lance’s neck, fingers raking through his soft hair. 

The feel of Lance's lips against his own was way better than any thoughts he’d had of this moment. Even though their lips were cracked and dry from being out in the heat for hours, just knowing this was real made Keith feel- well, happy. He had spent years watching Lance, wishing he'd notice him rather than all those beautiful girls. Getting frustrated at himself for wanting something so bad, and telling himself to give up. That it would never happen. 

But in this very moment, he was grateful that his stubbornness won out and that he hadn't given up. That was until he twisted a little too much into the kiss and his ribs screamed out in pain, causing him to pull back and hiss, grabbing harshly at his side.

“Keith? Are you okay?” Lance had no idea what had happened, only hearing Keith’s painful sounding voice as he pulled away suddenly.

Keith straightened up, resting back on the rock wall, trying to ease the pain. “Yeah. Sorry. It's just my ribs.” he explained. 

Lance frowned, Keith hadn't said anything about his ribs before. “What's wrong with your ribs?” he inquired, trying to remain calm, though a feeling of frustration that Keith had kept things from him was bubbling up inside.

“Uh…” Keith started, realising his mistake, but unable to backtrack. “I think they are bruised…” he said sheepishly. “And one or two may be broken.” he ducked his head, waiting to the explosion that was to come from beside him.

Lance didn't disappoint. “WHAT THE HELL!” he screamed, getting up to sit on his knees in front of Keith so he could glare at him. “Why didn't you tell me? I could have really hurt you while I was carrying you earlier!”

Keith looked down, feeling ashamed. “I didn't want you to worry.” he said, trying to diffuse the situation.

Lance sighed tiredly and moved back to sit next to Keith against the wall. He laid his hand over Keith’s on the ground between them, their fingers slotting together. “Keith…” he whispered out, feeling the exertion finally catch up to him. 

Keith glanced over at Lance. “Yeah?” he replied, slightly concerned. 

“Promise to stop keeping secrets from me?” Lance asked, turning his head to face Keith. “If something is bothering you or you’re hurt, just tell me, okay? I wanna be there for you.”

Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s hand, feeling his heart flutter in his chest. He smiled. “I promise. And I’m here for you too. No more running away.”

Lance smiled brightly at his reply, knowing he could trust Keith to keep his promise. “Thanks, Keith.”

Keith rested his head back against the wall. “We should try and get some rest. We’ll figure out what to do when we wake up.” 

Lance yawned, closing his eyes and resting his head back as well. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

\----

Keith woke up a few hours later to a howling sound. Frowning he looked over at the entrance of the alcove and saw a wall of sand flying across in a severe sand storm. He sighed, they weren’t going to be able to go that way. He looked down at Lance, who’s head had fallen down onto Keith’s shoulder as he slept. Keith smiled gently, glancing down at their still linked hands. He couldn’t believe that Lance actually liked him back. He had been so sure that Lance and Allura would have had the fairytale ending like in the movies. He never expected that he’d be the one to get the happy ending. 

First things first, though. He had a promise to keep. They had to find the healing spring and get themselves healed, so they could head back home. Keith looked around the small cave, gaze stumbling across a small walkway hidden behind the wall to their left. Maybe there was a tunnel system they could use. He turned back to Lance, moving his other hand to caress the brown hair. “Lance, wake up.” he whispered.

Lance began to stir, but just nuzzled his cheek into Keith’s shoulder, mumbling something Keith couldn’t understand.

Keith tried again, moving his hand to shake Lance’s shoulder. “Lance, come on, we have to keep moving.”

Lance scrunched up his eyes and groaned, before slowly opening them. “What’s going on?” he mumbled out, lifting his head off Keith’s shoulder. 

“It looks like there’s a sand storm outside.” Keith explained as Lance woke himself up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “I think I can see a path on the other side we can use though, maybe we can find some underground tunnels.”

Lance looked over at Keith. “Are you going to be alright to keep going?” he asked, concerned. He didn’t want Keith to further injure himself because of him. “Maybe we should just wait and head back when the storm clears.”

Keith frowned at him. “No. We’re not going back until we find the spring.” he replied determinedly as he pushed himself off the wall. “Now, help me up so we can continue.” he demanded firmly, leaving Lance no room to argue. 

Lance sighed as he stood up. “Alright, here.” he replied, moving to help Keith up. 

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck as Lance carefully wrapped his arms around Keith’s torso and lifted him up slowly so Keith could keep his broken leg straight. Keith rested his weight against Lance’s chest as he was pulled from the ground, enjoying the feeling and letting his body get used to the new position. His body still ached; his ribs hurt every time he twisted and his leg was in continuous throbbing pain. 

Lance held him gently. “Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?” he asked quietly. Even though Keith hadn’t said anything, Lance knew that he was still in a lot of pain.

Keith closed his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, I want to keep going. We can do this together.”

Lance smiled and pressed his forehead against Keith’s. “We do make a pretty good team.” 

“That we do.” Keith chuckled. “Come on, let’s get going.” 

They pulled apart and Lance picked up the bag before turning around so Keith could get on his back. 

“No Lance, I don’t want you to carry me, we don’t know how long these tunnels are.” Keith argued. They had to conserve as much strength as they could. 

Lance didn’t move. “Keith, get on or I’m not going anywhere.” he argued back stubbornly. “I’m not letting you walk on that leg.”

Keith pouted. “I’ll just lean on you, I don’t want to tire you out by carrying me.”

“Get. On.” Lance ordered, turning around to glare at Keith.

Keith huffed, knowing he wasn't going to win this argument. “Fine. But if you start to get tired, we rest, alright?”

Lance smiled, happy to win the argument. “Agreed. Now get on.”

Keith rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck as Lance moved his arms to secure Keith’s legs around his waist carefully. 

Once they were ready, Keith began to direct Lance through the tunnels. The further they walked from the cave entrance the darker and cooler it got. Keith turned the light on his gauntlet so he could see where they were walking. 

The cave went on for miles. The small path had led to a larger one where they could walk comfortably without scraping there shoulders and Keith’s legs against the walls, which Keith was grateful for. However the further they walked, the soggier the ground became, which gave Lance some difficulties as his feet began to sink into the soft sand, making him stumble.

“Let’s take a break.” Keith said after a while, holding back a grimace as Lance stumbled again, jerking Keith’s broken leg by accident as he tried to regain his balance. “Here should be fine.”

Lance stopped as requested, panting slightly. “Sorry.” he replied, lowering himself so Keith could get off his back easier. “Did I hurt you too much?”

Keith slid down the rock wall carefully to rest, his leg and ribs were throbbing from all the jarring movement. “No, it’s fine.” he lied, wrapping his arm around his ribs.

Lance sunk down next to him. “I know you’re lying.” he sighed, bringing his knees up to lean his arms on. He felt so helpless again. It was his fault they were in this mess. He was the one who got injured beyond repair. He was the one who made them fall off the cliff because he couldn’t see where he was walking and now he was causing Keith more pain because he had trouble walking on the stupid wet sand. 

Keith didn’t say anything, just leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was in too much pain to try and defend himself. He knew Lance would be angry with him for lying, but he didn’t want Lance to feel bad and blame himself.

They sat in silence for a while before Lance spoke up again.

“Keith.”

“Hmm.” Keith replied quietly.

“If we don’t find this spring and-” Lance began before Keith cut him off.

“We’ll find it, Lance.”

Lance frowned, “But if we don’t, and we have to go back home like this... “ He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It was a lot harder to say this out loud than he thought it would be, but he had to be strong. He couldn't be selfish. This was for the best. He opened his eyes, determined. “I don’t think we should be together.”

Keith’s eyes snapped open as he quickly and looked over at Lance. “What?” He choked out, as he felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening. 

Lance didn’t turn to look at him, just continued to look ahead. “I don’t want to hold you back.” he explained, his fingers digging into his armor as he continued. “I won’t be able to do a lot of things by myself and I don’t want to be a burden to anyone, especially to you.” As he finished, he felt a tear slide down his cheek so he pressed his head into his arms to hide them.

Keith leaned over and rested his head against Lance’s shoulder. “I don’t care.” he said softly, as he thought about what Lance had just said, before pulling away to glare at Lance. He wasn't about to lose the one thing he had wanted for so long. 

He pulled Lance’s face up to look at him and saw the tears streaming down his face. It was then that he knew this wasn't what Lance truly wanted, but what he thought was best for Keith, which made him feel more relaxed, but still annoyed that Lance would say such a thing after everything they’d just been through. “I don’t care what happens, I’m not leaving you.” he continued, trying to reassure Lance. 

He began wiping away the tears as he continued. “I have spent so long waiting for this moment, waiting for you and I’m not about to throw you away over something so stupid. I want to be with you no matter what, so please stop thinking that way, alright? I'm not going anywhere.”

Lance leaned into Keith's touch as more tears fell, this time out of happiness. “I don't know what to say.” he replied speechless. His heart felt like is was going to explode in his chest. 

Keith leaned forward and pressed his lips to Lance's forehead, laying a gentle kiss there. “Say you want to be with me, too, no matter what happens.”

Lance moved to cup the back of Keith’s head. “I do. I want to be with you, whatever happens. I don't want you to leave again.” he replied desperately. 

Keith smiled, relieved to hear Lance's reply. He lifted Lance's face and kissed him on his lips, pouring all his emotions out, trying to show Lance that he had meant what he had said. Keith had never felt this way about anyone before. And even though he had been scared of his feelings at first, and may have run away from them a few times, he knew just being with Lance was what he wanted. He no longer had the desire to run, no matter how hard their life would be. As long as he was with Lance, he knew he could deal with anything that came their way.

Lance responded eagerly with as much emotion, his fingers tangling themselves in Keith’s hair. He needed to show Keith how wrong he was to say such cruel things after everything they had been through. He wanted to show Keith that he did want to be with him, it didn't matter if he was disabled for the rest of his life. As long as Keith was with him, he’d be happy. 

The sudden sound of water dripping broke them out of their trance as they pulled back.

“Did you just hear...?” Keith started.

“Water.” Lance finished, smiling brightly. “There must be water down here, that's why the ground is so wet.” he said excitedly, standing up. 

He bent down to pick up Keith bridal style, careful of his injuries. Keith let out small shriek, not expecting Lance to grab pick him up so quickly as he wrapped his arms around Lance’s shoulders to hold on.

“Can you see where its coming from?” Lance asked as he began to slowly and carefully make his way towards the sound. 

Keith looked around, but only saw the cave walls. “Not yet, but just keep going, I’m sure we’ll come across it soon.” he replied, keeping an eye out. 

Lance continued walking through the passageway until a breeze blew past him making him stop. “Did you feel that?”

Keith glance over at the wall where the breeze came from. “Yeah. Can you turn right, it looks like there’s a crack in the wall.”

Lance altered his position and began walking in the direction Keith had instructed. 

“It looks like we might be able to squeeze through, but only one at a time.” Keith said, looking at the small crack that was covered by some dried up vines. “I’ll go first to make sure it’s safe.”

Lance put Keith down gently. “Are you gonna be alright squeezing through with your leg?” he asked, worried. He wasn’t sure how small the gap was or even what was on the other side, so he had no idea if this was safe of not.

Keith nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’ll guide you through. You’ll have to duck cause the space is only small.” he replied, pulling the vines off the wall so they could get through.

Keith could see light coming from the other side of the small corridor, which gave him a bit of hope after walking around for hours in the dark. Carefully he pushed himself through and guided Lance. 

Once they made it out the other side safely, Keith looked out over the new area and grabbed Lance’s hand in excitement. “Woah.” 

“What?” Lance asked, looking around, but couldn’t see anything. All he noticed was the change in light, but he couldn’t see where it was coming from.

“It’s like a hidden oasis.” Keith replied, kinda speechless. He’d never seen anything like it before. The room was tall, a waterfall flowing in on the far side of the room, and with it, a bit of bright warm light. The water flowing in was blue, the prettiest blue he had ever seen, clouded in white mist where it met with the reservoir below.

There were trees here, tall and wispy, similar to willow trees back on Earth but… Prettier, somehow. Where the long strands met the softly rippling surface of the water, they seemed to almost glow, changing the colours on the surface to a beautiful turquoise. Luminous moss filled in the cracks along the trunk of the tree, looking almost like veins where they trailed up to the branches.

Flowers rested at the water’s edge, blowing lightly in the soft breeze coming off of the water. They were every colour imaginable, all beautiful and breathtaking in their simplicity. He recognized some as similar to Earth’s flowers, like lilac Lilies of the Valley, white flowers similar to roses, and even many pedaled cardimums. It felt magical to even be basking in this spring’s presence, let alone hope to use its powers.

“It’s a large cavern filled with all different trees and plants,” Keith tried to explain, at a bit of a loss for words for what he was seeing in front of him. But, he wanted to try to explain it to Lance. “It’s kind of like a jungle waterfall, a hidden oasis in the middle of a forest, but it’s also more like a fantasy movie. Everything in here glows, and it’s really beautiful.”

“Do you see where the water is coming from?” Lance asked, feeling hopeful. If this place was hidden and as pretty as Keith had said, the spring had to be here.

“Yeah. It’s just ahead.” Keith looked over at the small pond at the base of the waterfall. Upon closer observation, there were even little white aquatic flowers floating on the surface. The water was sparkling, but not just from the light trickling in. It was like, magic or something. Keith didn’t know what to call it, all he knew was that it was mesmerizing to watch. 

“Well, come on then!” Lance called out, pulling on his hand, breaking Keith from his trance. 

Keith turned back to Lance and smiled brightly. “Yeah. Let’s go.” He said, wrapping his arms around Lance’s shoulders as Lance picked him up bridal style again.

This was it, they had finally done it. Lance was going to be healed, and the thought made Keith’s heart soar. 

He guided Lance down to the pool of water, the anxiety bubbling inside him as Lance began to walk into the water and put Keith down carefully. Keith took hold of Lance’s hands as they waited for something to happen. 

Lance gripped Keith’s hands tightly as they stood there, but nothing happening. After a few moments, he looked down sadly. “I guess this isn’t the spring after all.”

Keith frowned, feeling disappointed. They’d come so far, and he was sure this was the place, but why wasn’t it working? He remembered a passage he had read about the spring, how it would only reveal itself to those who were worthy and pure of heart, but they had found the spring and they had no ill intentions, so surely that meant they were worthy… So then why wasn’t it healing them? Was it because he had Galra blood in him? Was this his fault?

He looked up at Lance and removed one of his hands to bring it up to caress Lance’s face. “I’m so sorry Lance.” 

Lance shook his head and smiled. “It’s alright. If none of this had of happened then we would never have realised we liked each other, and that’s more than enough for me.” He was content just having Keith in his life again, knowing that he returned his feelings. 

Keith smiled back and brought his forehead to rest against Lance’s. “It’s enough for me too.” His heart fluttering in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to be with Lance. 

Suddenly a bright light engulfed the cavern, causing both men to close and shield their eyes.

Keith felt a strange energy run through his body and hover around his broken ribs and his leg. As the light dimmed, he opened his eyes slowly to look down at his body. He rested his foot on the ground and realised it no longer hurt and he could put pressure on it again. He quickly moved his hands up and poked at his ribs. They no longer hurt either.

“Keith.” Lance called to him.

Keith’s head snapped up to look at Lance. He carried himself a little taller, and when his gaze finally flickered over his face, he was ecstatic to see that the blue eyes he’d come to adore were brightly shining again. “Your eyes!” he exclaimed. “You can see?”

Lance smiled giddily, and swooped forwards to scoop Keith up into his arms, laughing as he swung him around excitedly. “Yes! And I can hear properly now, too.” 

Keith hugged Lance back ferociously, tangling his fingers into his hair as he was swung around. He had been so scared that he had let Lance down, but he had been able to keep his promise after all. He couldn’t help but grin madly, a laugh bubbling out of his throat at finally being in Lance’s arms.

Lance put Keith down gently and put him at arm’s length so he could look at him. He hadn’t seen Keith since he had left months ago and he had missed him so damn much. “I missed you.” he whispered, taking in all of Keith’s appearance. He placed his hands on Keith’s cheeks, letting his long fingers tangle through the hair behind his ears. He was pleasantly surprised to see that his hair had gotten a little longer, and the scar on his cheek looked even hotter with time. Well, distance makes the heart grow fonder, or so they say. 

Keith smiled softly. “I missed you, too.”

Now that he could see Keith’s lips, looking so beautiful and kissable, Lance couldn’t help but swoop down to steal the breath right from Keith’s lungs. The small hum Keith gave as soon as their lips met made Lance was to pull him to his chest and protect him from the world, so he moved one hand down from Keith’s cheek to wind confidently around his waist, pulling him tight against him. It felt so right, having Keith pressed tight to him. And the way Keith’s lips were moving against his own, with confidence in their right to be there, was more than Lance ever thought he could ask for. 

With a soft moan, Lance pulled back, but not far enough that they weren’t breathing the same air. He waited for Keith’s purple gaze to meet his before saying, “Let’s go home.”

Keith nodded happily and leaned up to press one more kiss to Lance’s lips before stepping back and linking their hands together. He called out for the Black lion to come to their location, so they didn’t have to walk all the way back.

“Hey, Keith? Thanks.” Lance said as they waited for the Black lion to arrive.

Keith looked over at him, confused. “What for?”

Lance met his gaze. “For coming back and not giving up on me.” he replied sincerely.

Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s hand, his thumb rubbing soothingly against the back of Lance’s palm. “I’ll never give up on you, and I’m not going anywhere. I guess you’re stuck with me now.” he chuckled.

Lance laughed and pulled Keith in for a big hug. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” he declared. He was going to hug Keith as much as possible now that he could.

Keith laughed and hugged him back tightly. “I could get used to this.” he replied, happily.

“You better.” Lance replied, pulling back to look at the spring. “I wonder why it didn’t work when we first stepped into it?” he pondered.

“I think it was because we were so concerned about the outcome that it clouded our hearts.” Keith explained. He watched Lance’s expression change to one of confusion. “I read that the spring only appears to those it deems worthy and of pure heart. It must have guided us here.” 

Lance’s frown deepened. “What do you mean ‘guided us here’?”

“Think about it.” Keith replied. “First, we confessed. Then, there was the sandstorm that made us walk through the cave. Then we talked about you’re doubts and said we’d never leave each other, which led us to hearing the water and led us to this spring. Finally…” Keith looked over at the spring again as he concluded his explanation. “We were both content with just being with each other, no matter what happened.”

Lance smiled softly as he took Keith’s hand again. “The others are gonna have a field day when they hear about this.” he said slyly.

Keith chuckled as the Black lion appeared above them, ready to take them home. “After they blast us for not keeping them updated, you mean?”

Lance hummed as he looked up at Black. “Okay, maybe we don’t tell them everything.” he laughed, imagining the team freaking out after hearing everything they’d been through.

Keith glanced over at Lance as they climbed into Black. “Our little secret then?”

Lance met his eyes and grinned. “Our little secret.” he agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please leave a comment and let me know what you thought!!
> 
> As always feel free to come yell Voltron or Klance at me on tumblr [@forsakenangel88](http://forsakenangel88.tumblr.com/) or twitter [@ForsakeAngel88](https://twitter.com/ForsakeAngel88)


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